New Democrats will remain socialists for now as delegates voted to send a controversial change to the language in the party constitution back to the drawing table to avoid a divisive debate.

NDP Leader Jack Layton raises his cane as he takes to the stage to deliver his keynote speech at the party's 50th anniversary convention in Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday June 19, 2011.

By:Joanna SmithOttawa Bureau, Published on Sun Jun 19 2011

VANCOUVER—New Democrats will remain socialists for now as delegates voted to send a controversial change to the language in the party constitution back to the drawing table to avoid a divisive debate.

About 1,500 members of the NDP gathered this weekend to celebrate their success and get ready to grow into an NDP that has a serious shot at forming government in four years, a process that involved heated debates that showed just how much the party is struggling to define itself.

As the Star reported last week, part of the evolution — and vote-seeking strategy — championed by party brass would involve removing the words “democratic socialism” from the NDP constitution in favour of softer language.

Another resolution that came from the grassroots — excited and defiant over the recent electoral success winning a record 103 seats in the House of Commons — would have had the NDP reject outright any future talks of merging with the Liberals.

Neither of those resolutions were adopted — the constitutional tinkering delayed and the anti-merger resolution rejected — but not before delegates engaged in heated debates when they finally came to the convention floor Sunday morning.

“I think they’re having a bit of an identity crisis here,” said Heritage Minister James Moore, who was at the NDP biennial policy convention as a Conservative observer.

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton said that was ridiculous.

“Some people perhaps feel that the selection of an adjective — one adjective versus another — is a monumental matter,” Layton told reporters at the Vancouver Convention Centre on Sunday, where delegates gave his leadership an approval rate of 97.9 per cent.

“People wanted to try and find a refinement and modernization of the language to capture what our values are. There was no disagreement about the values. It was about the nature of the label, so (delegates) said: ‘Well let’s talk about that some more,’ ” said Layton. “Our opponents may try to paint that as some kind of identity crisis. I think that would be ridiculous.”

The lineups at the microphones when the constitutional resolution came up for debate was long and NDP MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) led the charge in favour of the new wording, saying the socialist language in the constitution was an anchor holding the party back — and scaring voters away — at a time when it is closer to forming government than every before.

“Socialism is not an anchor, it’s a rocket,” Barry Weisleder, who chairs the unofficial socialist caucus that meets in its own room at NDP conventions, shot back.

“You can take socialism out of the preamble, but you can’t take socialism out of the NDP.”

Newly elected party president Brian Topp stepped in to suggest referring it to the party executive to retool and save it for another time, a motion that passed to the relief of many delegates.

“We can breathe,” Topp told delegates, noting the next election is still four years away. “We can take the time to do our important work well . . . Let’s leave this room together.”

Brad Lavigne, national director of the party, said most delegates had more of a problem with the lack of any language critiquing the market system than whether the constitution contained the word socialism and said the executive is likely to throw in a few words on the topic to make the grassroots happy.

Peter Thurley, who ran for the NDP in the riding of Kitchener Centre, said the change needs consultation because it is a fundamental question of where the party is going as it strives to have a serious shot at forming government.

“There are a large number of delegates who don’t want to become the next Liberal Party of Canada,” Thurley said. “At the same time, we have to figure out how we’ll be able to speak to and connect with average everyday Canadians in a language that they understand, in a language that they know and resonate with.”

Delegates also decided to leave the door open to the possibility of merging with the Liberals instead of rejecting it outright.

“To close the door on any future discussion of a merger with the Liberals is a serious tactical mistake,” NDP MP Peter Stoffer (Sackville — Eastern Shore) told the roomful of delegates ahead of the vote.

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